Talk:Richie Farmer

WikiProject class rating
This article was automatically assessed because at least one WikiProject had rated the article as stub, and the rating on other projects was brought up to Stub class. BetacommandBot 08:18, 10 November 2007 (UTC)

BLP question
Should the article include the name of Farmer's mistress? Acdixon (talk · contribs) 13:31, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

Out of an abundance of caution regarding WP:BLP, I chose not to include the name of Farmer's mistress in the article, even though it appears in mainstream, reliable sources such as the Lexington Herald-Leader. (For reference, the first mention of her is in the last paragraph of the "Bid for lieutenant governor" section.) She is relevant because Farmer was indicted for abusing the public trust, including putting his girlfriend into a non-merit government job and apparently paying her on the clock for doing personal errands and such. She was also charged and convicted.

During the article's recently passed FA candidacy, a couple of editors asked why the name wasn't included. They thought a case could be made for either inclusion or exclusion, so I promised I'd follow up with an RFC once the FAC closed. The prose probably does read a bit more awkwardly without it in places. I'd like input from folks more policy-savvy than myself on whether the mistress' name should be included. Thanks. Acdixon (talk · contribs) 13:38, 14 May 2015 (UTC)
 * Assuming there was no ambiguity in the report, I would include it, but with in-text attribution to the Herald-Leader.  Dwpaul  Talk   14:59, 14 May 2015 (UTC)


 * Without a consensus to include the name, I would default to omitting it. It doesn't seem necessary to the article. NinjaRobotPirate (talk) 00:33, 15 May 2015 (UTC)
 * This case depends heavily on the coverage of the mistress' name in reliable sources. Assuming your statement, that it "appears in mainstream", is true, it should be included. However, if only one source makes note of it, then inclusion is not necessary and it should not be included. Meatsgains (talk) 02:10, 19 May 2015 (UTC)
 * I have found the name in the Lexington Herald-Leader, The Courier-Journal (Louisville), The State Journal (Frankfort), and the web sites of WBKO (Bowling Green), WKYT (Louisville), and WDRB (Lexington), at least. Acdixon (talk · contribs) 13:53, 19 May 2015 (UTC)

Thanks for a thoughtful close. Perhaps I should have commented here -- I was one of the FAC reviewers who asked why her name wasn't mentioned -- but I don't have a strong opinion either way, and I don't know enough about the details of BLP policy to feel I could contribute to that aspect of the discussion. I think the RfC does settle that there is no compelling BLP argument in either direction, which leaves it up to editor discretion, as you say. That's a useful outcome. Mike Christie (talk - contribs - library) 15:37, 22 June 2015 (UTC)

Let me echo Mike's thanks for the extensive closing rationale. Far from apologizing, you should be commended for it. I really expected a dutiful "no consensus" close without further comment, which would have proven most unhelpful. I'm also pleased to see that my indecision was not without merit, as thoughtful arguments exist on both sides, although nobody seems to have a really strong preference for either. One point that holds some sway – and which I had not considered previously – is the issue of the publicity the article could generate. Since I have toyed with nominating the article for TFA on Farmer's release date, that is a consideration. My personal sense of decorum led me to believe the name should be omitted absent a compelling reason to include it. Seeing nothing here that I would consider a "compelling reason", and given that the lack of consensus seems to leave the issue to my discretion for the moment, I think we'll continue with the status quo. Thanks to all who commented. Acdixon (talk · contribs) 17:13, 22 June 2015 (UTC)

Assessment comment
Substituted at 04:25, 30 April 2016 (UTC)

Photos?
It's remarkable to me, especially in the cram-in-the-pix Wikipedia, how few pictures there are in this article—and none at all of the article's subject (his team's coach?), despite his being a star athlete and statewide politician. Surely there are pictures of him out there, all these years later. --Piledhigheranddeeper (talk) 17:15, 26 August 2019 (UTC)
 * I would love to have added a picture of Farmer, and I'm sure there are some available made by state government entities, but I know those are not automatically PD, as they are with US federal entities. I did some cursory searches way back when, but something more may have come to light in the interim. Acdixon (talk · contribs) 17:46, 26 August 2019 (UTC)